With round-robin play wrapping up on Thursday night, the field is set for the semifinals at the 2018 RBC Cup with both BCHL teams qualifying.
Here’s a look back at each team’s road the the semis and what their matchup is for Semifinal Saturday.
Wenatchee Wild:
The Wild were the only team to go undefeated in the round robin, with a 4-0 record. They started the tournament off with a 2-1 overtime win against host-side Chilliwack Chiefs with Lucas Sowder going end-to-end to score the winner (see below).
The Wild then made a comeback in their next game against the Steinbach Pistons, winning 4-3 with AJ Vanderbeck scoring the game winner. They then went the distance against the Ottawa Jr. Senators winning in a shootout as Matt Dorsey netted the eventual winner in a 3-2 win.
The BCHL champs finished off round-robin play with a dominant performance against the Wellington Dukes in a 7-1 victory to finish at the top of the standings with 10 points. On Semifinal Saturday, the Wild will play those same Wellington Dukes at 2 p.m. Wellington finished the tournament with three points from one overtime win, one overtime loss and two regulation losses.
Chilliwack Chiefs:
After losing their opening game of the RBC Cup to their BCHL foes the Wenatchee Wild, the Chiefs didn’t look back as they beat the Ottawa Jr. Senators 4-3 in overtime thanks to a four-goal effort from captain Will Calverley, three of which were tipped-in shots, including the game winner (see below).
The Chiefs would continue their winning ways with a 2-0 victory over the Wellington Dukes and a 4-1 win to close out the round robin portion of the tournament against the Steinbach Pistons. The host Chiefs finished with nine points through four games, with one overtime loss, an overtime win and two regulation wins, good enough for second in the standings. They will play the Senators at 7 p.m. on Saturday night as they look to punch their ticket to the RBC Cup final.
The final will be played at 4 p.m. on Sunday and will be broadcast live on TSN. If Wenatchee and Chilliwack can advance past the semifinals, we would have an all-BCHL final for the first time in RBC Cup history.